Wei Peng assumed his stance, patiently waiting for Ye Wen to make the first move. Though deeply wary of Ye Wen, the disparity in age and seniority made it improper for him to strike first.

"Sect Leader Ye, please commence!"

Ye Wen surveyed the scene, then suddenly declared, "Great Helmsman Wei's martial prowess is unparalleled. Should I hold back, it would be a show of disrespect to you!"

With that, he turned and walked back to stand before his disciples. He addressed one of them, "Hand me your longsword!"

The disciple was momentarily stunned but swiftly passed over the longsword, sheath and all. Realizing the moment, he added, "Sect Leader, please use it!"

Ye Wen nodded, returning to Wei Peng with the sword. "The Shu Mountain Sect excels most in swordsmanship, and it is where I am strongest! If you find this unfair, Great Helmsman, I can gladly discard it! Of course, we have many other weapons in the Shu Mountain arsenal; feel free to request one if you have a need!"

These words were delivered without hurry, neither subservient nor arrogant, leaving Wei Peng utterly speechless. He could hardly retort, "I prefer bare-handed combat; why should you use a weapon?" Such a statement would instantly erode his own authority. Thus, it was a route he absolutely could not take.

As for using a weapon against Ye Wen? Wei Peng was not ignorant of weaponry, but he had never truly mastered any; at best, his skills were mediocre. They might suffice against mere riffraff, but he viewed Wen as an opponent of equal standing, demanding a more familiar approach with his hands.

After careful consideration, he felt he had no choice but to concede Ye Wen's sudden move to retrieve a weapon: "Sect Leader Ye, there's no need for formalities. Our contest today is judged only on victory or defeat; let us dispense with trivialities. Since Sect Leader Ye excels in the sword, I certainly won't force you to discard it for fist-fighting. I am not an unreasonable man!"

Wei Peng was, after all, supremely confident in his Claw Technique, especially with his bare palms. If he channeled his internal energy, even an armed opponent would struggle to harm him.

"Sect Leader Ye, please make your move!"

"Then I shall not refuse the courtesy!"

Saying this, Ye Wen slowly raised his left hand while simultaneously circulating his Zixia Gong (Purple Haze Art). The hand holding the scabbard immediately tinged with a faint violet hue.

Exerting force from his palm, the longsword within the sheath was forcefully ejected by Ye Wen's internal energy. With a sharp clang, a third of the blade sprung out, the hilt stopping perfectly before Ye Wen's eyes.

This maneuver caused Wei Peng's eyes to jump in shock. Ye Wen was clearly demonstrating the depth of his internal cultivation and the exquisite finesse of his energy control; failure in either aspect would have made such a feat impossible. Wei Peng admitted he certainly couldn't manage it himself.

If Wei Peng was stunned, the surrounding crowd was even more so, many of the less experienced not even comprehending how the sword had launched itself from its sheath.

"Could this Sect Leader Ye be a Sword Immortal?" Slowly drawing the rest of the longsword, Ye Wen deliberately prolonged the display of composure. Finally, he assumed an initial posture, casually tossing the empty scabbard aside: "Great Helmsman Wei, my apologies!" Before the words fully left his lips, Ye Wen's figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing before Wei Peng. His stance was rock-steady as he thrust his sword upward and slightly to the right, aimed directly at Wei Peng’s forehead—the move known in Quanzhen Swordsmanship as Dingyang Oblique!

This move held no inherent novelty; its effectiveness relied entirely on the swordsman's internal power and bearing. Lacking proper bearing, the Dingyang Needle would lose its sense of stability, thus emphasizing a sword movement that was not fast, but extraordinarily solid and unwavering.

In the past, Ye Wen could never have mastered the essence of this move. However, since practicing with a heavy sword, the need to temper his brute force—due to the added weight—had led him to a deeper understanding of the subtleties within Quanzhen Swordsmanship. Now, as he executed the Dingyang Needle, it resonated with palpable power!

Seeing the sword thrust toward him, Wei Peng felt a phantom ache in his forehead before the blade even arrived, recognizing it as the oppressive force of Ye Wen's sword momentum. He dared not dally. His feet shifted instantly, allowing him to sidestep the thrust. He then took a lateral step forward, immediately leaping in, his hand morphing into an Eagle Claw, aiming directly for the elbow of Ye Wen’s sword arm.

If this claw strike landed true, Ye Wen’s arm would likely be instantly crippled. Furthermore, the claw was subtly aimed at numerous vital acupoints along Ye Wen's arm; once struck, escape would be impossible unless Ye Wen's cultivation vastly surpassed Wei Peng's.

Ye Wen knew the danger, yet his expression remained composed, his swordplay unbroken. He stamped his foot, rotated his sword, and while smoothly evading Wei Peng's clawing motion, he swept his blade toward Wei Peng’s hands.

This stroke was vicious. If it connected, the least outcome would be severed tendons; in a severe case, the hand could be severed clean at the wrist. In a casual sparring match, Ye Wen would never employ such a move, but Wei Peng’s technique was ruthlessly targeted at crippling his arm right from the start, and Ye Wen had no intention of maintaining courtesy.

"Since you aim to cripple my right hand, I'll simply sever those claws of yours!" Wei Peng hadn't anticipated that the Shu Mountain Sect Leader, who had been so polite moments ago, would unleash such ferocity upon striking. He had intended to press the advantage while Ye Wen was still adjusting, delivering a harsh blow or two to quickly subdue his opponent. If he could cripple a limb or permanently disable him in the process, all the better.

Yet, Ye Wen showed none of the hesitation common among younger swordsmen. In Wei Peng’s experience, youths often held back in combat and dared not strike lethally until after suffering significant losses, only then realizing the stark difference between a life-and-death struggle and friendly sect sparring.

This Ye Wen, so young, carried himself like a seasoned veteran of the martial world. His strikes were ruthless, each one aimed at his vital areas. Even that seemingly courteous opening thrust was clearly targeting his head, intended to end his life immediately.

Subsequent moves followed—strikes aimed at the wrist, the waist, the throat, the heart. The inherently righteous Quanzhen Swordsmanship was wielded by Ye Wen with extreme ruthlessness. Even so, outsiders watching would not perceive Ye Wen's swordplay as cruel; his composed demeanor and effortless grace easily misled external perceptions. Only Wei Peng, caught in the flurry, understood the peril. He couldn't even fully execute his signature Great Strength Eagle Claw Hand; he hadn't managed to string together consecutive moves, as each attempt was cut short by Ye Wen's vicious sword strikes, denying him the chance to unleash many of his technique's subtle follow-ups.

"Insolent!" After more than ten exchanges, he, the dignified Head of the Pingzhou Branch of the Tianle Gang, was being decisively suppressed by the young Sect Leader of an obscure sect. This situation enraged Wei Peng, and he resolved to hold nothing back, unleashing the ultimate, secret technique he reserved for life-or-death situations.

Wei Peng executed two rapid claw strikes: one to force back Ye Wen's sword, the second aimed directly at Ye Wen's throat to compel retreat. He followed this with a kick, forcing Ye Wen to hop backward again, successfully widening the distance between them. Having achieved this separation, Wei Peng backed up further, his breathing rhythm abruptly altering. After a final, deep inhalation, he roared.

Wei Peng’s entire body began to crackle like frying beans, particularly his pair of palms, where the majority of the popping sound originated. His outer garments billowed outward from surging qi, and the energy radiating from him was clearly perceptible even to the pushed-back Ye Wen.

It turned out that aside from the Great Strength Eagle Claw Hand, Wei Peng possessed a unique internal art called Explosive Breathing. This was a distinctive method of internal cultivation that, beyond normal cultivation, allowed the user to instantly unleash tremendous internal power by regulating breath, causing an instantaneous surge in combat capability and terrifying might—it was a technique originating from Jizhou.

However, the technique's greatest weakness was its inability to be sustained; prolonged use would cause the explosive internal energy to shatter the user's own meridians. Wei Peng rarely used this art since mastering it, relying only on his Eagle Claw technique unless facing an exceptionally powerful opponent or facing a must-win situation.

But today's battle with Ye Wen kept him constantly at a disadvantage, and he could not tolerate defeat at the hands of Ye Wen’s sword. With a hardening of his resolve, he employed this life-saving secret technique. The moment he initiated it, the sheer spectacle drew gasps of astonishment from the crowd.

Lu Tian, who knew Wei Peng best, realized the situation was far worse than he imagined when he saw his Helmsman resort to Explosive Breathing. Just how formidable was the cultivation of that Shu Mountain Sect Leader? He failed to realize that Ye Wen was exploiting the advantage of his weapon, preventing close quarters combat and maintaining a safe distance, thereby provoking Wei Peng into unleashing his ultimate skill.

Ye Wen knew his opponent was preparing to fight to the death. He activated his Zixia Gong, circulating the Zixia True Qi throughout his body. As the divine skill manifested, visible anomalies began to appear around him.

First, his complexion darkened to a deep violet, then his hands began to glow purple. A faint mist enveloped his form, catching the purple light from his hands and face, making it seem as if purple haze clung to him—a sign that Ye Wen's Zixia Gong had advanced further since those few days prior, nearing the stage of Great Completion.

With both grandmasters unleashing their ultimate arts, this engagement was poised to determine the victor!

Wei Peng struck first. Empowered by Explosive Breathing, his attack speed increased dramatically. His iron claws flashed like lightning, reaching Ye Wen in the blink of an eye. Even Ye Wen was greatly surprised, not expecting Wei Peng’s power to have surged to such a degree.

"To be a Helmsman of the Tianle Gang’s branch must mean you possess some capabilities after all!" Ye Wen swept his longsword upward, intending to force Wei Peng to evade as before; otherwise, this strike would cleanly sever Wei Peng's left hand.

But unexpectedly, Wei Peng did not dodge this time. His trailing right claw shot out to grasp the longsword directly. In his astonishment, Ye Wen was caught square on.

A grating, screeching sound erupted as the sword seemed to be caught in an iron vise, causing a painful shiver down the spines of everyone present. Even Ye Wen felt discomfort in his ears, but he had no time to attend to it. Wei Peng had secured the sword, and his left hand continued its trajectory toward Ye Wen's face, poised to strike true. With Wei Peng's palm force, if it landed, Ye Wen’s facial skin would likely be shredded; disfigurement would be the mildest outcome, even death was a possibility.

However, just as Ye Wen underestimated the force of Wei Peng's claw, Wei Peng hadn't fully accounted for the power of Ye Wen's sword. Wei Peng believed that by exerting his utmost power and protecting his hands with potent qi after grabbing the sword, he could defeat Ye Wen. He failed to consider that Ye Wen's Zixia Gong was equally formidable. Even with the sword caught, it was largely because Ye Wen was momentarily surprised by the audacity of using bare palms against a weapon. Ye Wen remained unhurried; he slowly moved his left hand forward and slapped onto Wei Peng's grasping palm. The Zixia Jin Qi erupted, forcibly knocking Wei Peng’s attack aside. Then, exerting power from his right hand, Ye Wen vibrated the sword. With a continued harsh grating sound, the sword, held tightly moments before, was violently wrenched free from Ye Wen’s grasp.

But it wasn't over. Ye Wen's move to draw the sword back normally wouldn't have harmed Wei Peng, as the blade and tip were directed away from him after extraction, and the posture of withdrawing the sword made changing direction difficult. Thus, Wei Peng hadn't even considered evading, instead planning to seize the opening Ye Wen exposed while withdrawing the blade for another strike.

However, he never anticipated that the edge of the drawn sword would suddenly bend mid-air—not a change in sword momentum, but the blade itself curving unnaturally. The edge, which should absolutely not have touched him, viciously hooked across Wei Peng’s shoulder. Coupled with the bend, the sword tip acted like the barb of a hook, and as it struck, it dragged slightly. The pain caused Wei Peng's entire left arm to go limp, and a significant portion of his internal energy dispersed.

Ye Wen had gained the advantage with that strike but felt no triumph. Wei Peng’s previous two moves had instilled deep caution. He had relied on his superior internal energy to bend the sword, catching Wei Peng off guard with an unexpected attack. If he didn't press the advantage now while Wei Peng was reeling, he would be foolish.

The sword spun in the air. The blade, momentarily bent, snapped back to straightness due to its inherent elasticity. Ye Wen simultaneously channeled more Zixia Gong, driving True Qi into the sword, which seemed to shimmer with a faint violet luminescence, transforming the ordinary weapon.

This shift startled Wei Peng back to his senses. His eyes immediately darted to the sword, realizing this was Ye Wen's full-strength effort; if struck, his defeat today would be absolute.

Just as he gathered his focus to defend, Ye Wen suddenly poured energy into his left palm. A majority of the hard-won Zixia True Qi was channeled there. Both his bare palms turned deep purple, with wisps of violet energy even escaping his body and coiling around his hands. Focused entirely on the attack, Ye Wen paid no mind to the phenomenon, exploiting Wei Peng's distraction by firmly slapping his left palm against Wei Peng’s ribs.

Smack!

The sound wasn't loud, but Wei Peng's expression changed drastically. He had sensed the incoming strike but was too distracted by the sword to dodge in time. He hastily channeled internal energy to protect his viscera, attempting to endure the blow, while simultaneously preparing both hands to counterattack, intending to fight for a mutual destruction.

Although Ye Wen's palm strike appeared slow and lacking in power, Wei Peng had already witnessed this style before. It looked soft but erupted with overwhelming, rigid force upon impact; he dared not underestimate it.

He had already treated Ye Wen's strike with extreme caution, but Ye Wen poured his entire cultivation into this palm, even utilizing the purest Zixia True Qi. Upon contact, the energy immediately exploded outward, the Zixia Jin Qi penetrating deep into Wei Peng’s body.

"Hmph!" Fortunately, Wei Peng possessed extraordinary innate cultivation, and his protective qi shielded his internal organs and meridians. Although the blow inflicted considerable internal injury, he grit his teeth and managed not to vomit blood, emitting only a muffled grunt. But he knew this single blow had severely damaged his meridians, throwing his qi into chaos. Most critically, the volatile Explosive Breathing energy was completely destabilized. Half of his current internal injury was from Ye Wen; the other half was thanks to the failed Explosive Breathing. Such an injury, even under the most optimistic scenario, would take at least a year or two to heal.

But Ye Wen had no intention of letting him go. Seeing Wei Peng’s internal energy scattering and his body immobilized, Ye Wen instantly followed with a downward sword chop. He employed a move from the Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade technique, intending to slay Wei Peng on the spot.

However, Wei Peng’s energy was now erratic, his meridians and organs critically damaged, rendering him completely unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as Ye Wen’s sword descended upon him, unable even to cry out, his final plea a silent scream in his mind: Stop! Alas, Ye Wen possessed no mind-reading abilities, nor did he have any reason to heed the words of his foe. His sword did not slow. The spectators watched a flash of light, faintly tinged with violet, followed by a spray of vivid crimson. The esteemed Helmsman of the Tianle Gang's Pingzhou Branch was thus summarily executed by Ye Wen.

Most onlookers were paralyzed by the scene. Even Lu Tian stood frozen for a long moment. When he finally registered what had happened, he wanted to speak but found himself utterly speechless.

Trembling, he pointed a finger at Ye Wen, but ultimately no words emerged. It was then he realized he should have left much earlier rather than engaging in pleasantries here.

But as soon as he turned, activating his lightness skill to clear the surrounding crowd and depart Shu Mountain, a cold voice reached his ears: "Mr. Lu, don't you think it’s a bit late to leave now?" Lu Tian started, turning to see who had addressed him, but in that blink of an eye, all he saw was a silver glare before his eyes, brilliant and extraordinary like the River of Stars. The only sound he heard was a continuous shwish-shwish, and then all sensation vanished. The last thought in his mind before the world went dark was: Such speed!

Seeing Lu Tian also cut down, Ye Wen finally relaxed. He glanced at the silent, stunned crowd but offered no platitudes such as, "If news of today spreads, do not blame me for showing no mercy." He knew the events would inevitably spread, so there was no point in wasting breath. He would rather contemplate how to deal with the potential fallout. After all, his Shu Mountain Sect had just killed two key figures from the Tianle Gang!